Find out what toxins they've dipped the wood into, and find out if it real wood, and if it is legal to import it here. You will need to check with customs because wood products have restrictions. You might have to paint them a lot because I can just see them crumbling in a couple of months. I got a raised bottom board from a supplier in Australia and it rotted in less than 2 years whereas the ones I made myself from cheap pine have lasted. The wood is going to make a difference and I can see china exporting its lowest quality wood. If I were you I'd buy one to test in outdoor conditions first before you get the full 1500...unless there is someone else who has tried them?

Also look at freight costs. I was going to order something from america worth $1.90, but didn't when the postage was going to cost $87.00. You are close enough to bee product suppliers to pick up.

I am not advocating buy australian for the sake of it, because that often entails over-priced products and often bad service thrown in. But I am extra dubious about cheap wood products from China. I can see you need to economise with the quantities you will order, but make sure it won't cause unnecessary repair costs too soon down the track.

$2.50 is the going rate for Qld honey buyers, unless you supply in an IBC Tank.

I would love $15-20 a kg, but obtaining certification to sell organic is; not worth the hassle or money.

My local Farmers Market got raided a few weeks back, (which I think was great) as there are many people there selling honey, competition is fine I have no problem with that, But I have the problem with all beekeepers who put Organic Honey on all their labels, and sell all their honey at a premium price without the supporting documentation. I looked in to obtaining Organic certification & it would be over $30k initially to obtain certification & over $7k per year to keep it current in Qld. (That being said, they nailed anyone who had an Organic sign up, without a current certificate of Organic Compliance displayed)

Unless you are in virgin land 10km's away from the nearest anything is you honey truly Organic & free of any pesticide residues? I am all for true organic, and because on your 30 acres you don't use chemicals at all, what is to say your neighbor is not selective spraying, this won't affect your bees, but it will leave a residue in your honey or nectar.

Mark

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========================================================"At the end of the day, you can't eat money, but it sure helps pay the bills."

I would be very dubious about importing woodware from China due to the issues raised above. If you shop around you can find good quality Australian made hives and frames (using Australian timber) at very reasonable prices.

I also wanted to add my two cents about the so called 'organic' labelling that a lot of beekeepers seem to use to sell their honey. Consumers seem to love the word 'organic' but to me, it is false advertising. I agree totally with Lillyfrog and Yanta. You have no idea where your bees are gathering pollen and nectar from and I think it would be virtually impossible for any honey to be totally organic. If they have access to any agricultural land, chances are it has been fertilised with chemical fertilisers and sprayed with chemical pesticides. Even if they can access a home garden, it's quite likely that the garden has had some form of chemical fertiliser or pesticide used in the past. As far as I'm concerned, there's no difference in the quality between organic and regular honey anyway.

Plastic in my opinion is rubbish. they put all these fancy grooves and holes in frames and some supers that become a harborage for hive beetle. They are to small for the bees to get into and chase the beetle, so it is a safe haven for the beetles.

cheersMark

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========================================================"At the end of the day, you can't eat money, but it sure helps pay the bills."